


Fictober Shorts: Scars

by Lyrishadow



Series: Fictober 2020 Shorts [7]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27100282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrishadow/pseuds/Lyrishadow
Summary: Prompt 7: “Yes I did, what about it?”Fandom: Mass EffectTitle: ScarsPairing: Allie Shepard/ Kaidan AlenkoRating: M (Mature)Warnings/Tags: mention of slavery, abuse, and parts from the story. (Death)
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Series: Fictober 2020 Shorts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977133
Kudos: 2





	Fictober Shorts: Scars

Allie Shepard stared at the mirror, just once she wished the person staring back was not scarred. She ran her finger along the line that ran through her eyebrow, it was from Mindoir, from the moment she decided to run but her mother had been killed for trying to slow down the slavers. It was only an outward sign of what she had dealt with.  
“Always remember you mom.” she murmured not hearing the door.  
“Commander?”  
“Kaiden, I’m sorry I didn’t hear the door.”  
“Joker was just trying to call you but you didn’t respond, sent me here to check on you.”  
“I guess you heard me …” Allie sighed “got some time? Could use an ear if that is ok?”  
“Yeah, I think Joker figured as much.” Kaiden sat on a chair opposite her in her cabin.  
“Talitha, the girl in the spaceport, the..” Allie sighed “you think you are over things and things just..”  
“Come back?”  
“Like a ton of bricks.”  
“Mindoir then?”  
“Crazy, if they had known how messed up I was…” Allie shook her head rubbing her hand over her neck. “I don’t know, it was hard work getting well enough to pass the psychological exams on entry.”  
“I can’t imagine what you went through. “  
“Not as much as Talitha, because I ran.” Allie replied, “My whole family though… I.. had a brother about the same age as Talitha.”  
“Oh god. Allie, I’m sorry.” No wonder it had come back, Jackson would have been five when the slavers hit. Had it really been 17 years?  
“Thing is, I was home with my mum, my brother was with my dad; dad always collected him from daycare on his way home. I… guess they didn’t make it because of the slavers. I hadn’t really thought about that.”  
“Did you talk to people when they found you?”  
“Yes I did, what about it?”  
“That helps you deal with things?”  
“You know people don’t like survivors of these things, especially teenagers.” Allie picked at her sleeves. “Teenagers get angry and I don’t know; I went through five councilors at the time, none of them stuck until they called the military who had found me and asked for advice.”  
“You had a military psychiatrist?”Kaiden was surprised  
“Yeah, he was surprised when they told him to look after me.” Allie half smiled “He called a friend to mentor me, so I could apply for the Marines. Captain Anderson.”  
“Oh… we knew you had history but no-one could figure out how.”  
“Not a secret. Just not talked about you know? Easier to keep the chain of command if people didn’t imagine all kinds of favoritism.” Allie shrugged.  
“I feel for Talitha, I was a mess.” Allie sighed “There are other scars, but the ones from Mindoir, are the ones I try to forget.”  
“I didn’t really know you had scars?” Kaiden said and she could tell he half regretted it.  
“Off duty Kaiden, and as a friend so don’t guard your words so much,” she advised.  
“Yeah, I know.” A moment’s silence as she could see he was figuring out what to say and deciding whether to go with how he felt. “I don’t look at you and see scars, I see a.., beautiful woman.”  
“Thank you.”  
“I mean it, Shepard, you are remarkable, for all you have been through to not have given up. Hell, I went through a lot less and stopped everything for a year or more.”  
“I had no choice.” Allie replied staring at her hands “you either fight or you die.”  
“I am glad you chose to fight,” Kaiden replied placing his hand on hers. “And I am glad you are stronger for it.”  
“Sometimes though, all I battle are these inner voices, telling me I should have died with them,” Allie confessed, staring now at Kaiden’s hand. “If ever something happens..”  
“It won’t.”  
“If it does.” Allie looked at Kaiden now, tears forming “I need someone to remember me too.”  
“Shepard... Allie..” Kaiden stood and moved round to where she was sitting, taking her hand in his again he kissed her forehead. Then carefully wiping the tears from her eyes, he placed a gentle kiss on the scar that split her eyebrow.  
“I will never forget you.”


End file.
